NIGHTSONG

In this Australian import, a boy discovers magic in the soundscape of a starry, summer night.

Eager to go home, Lewis colors listlessly while his mother has tea at her friend’s house. His boredom follows him on the bus ride home until a flat tire forces the passengers to disembark. Softly textured compositions, filled with pattern and detail, are rendered in black and white. Warm colors highlight the objects, flora, and fauna that are making noise and the words identifying the sounds—the “WHOOSH!” of an orange curtain catching the breeze, the “CRUNCH!” of Mom biting into a chocolate chip cookie—leading to ever-changing, captivating scenes. Against the quiet of a starlit black sky and a pastoral setting, a firefly encircled in yellow catches the boy’s eye and ear with its “ZZZZZZ.” He follows the insect, climbing over a fence and walking through a glade of trees until he comes to a creek. All the while he notices the sounds of leaves rustling, frogs croaking, and water burbling. As the author describes it, “The night sounds become a song.” Sonorous sentences and compelling images capture the enchantment of a natural nocturnal setting and a child’s wonder at experiencing it through multiple senses—perhaps for the first time. Lewis and his mother have skin the white of the page; other characters are depicted in various shades.

Mesmerizing—and sure to inspire listeners to attend to the symphonies in their own environments.